


Color

by RebelJanetRex



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-15
Updated: 2016-04-15
Packaged: 2018-06-02 11:16:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6564109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RebelJanetRex/pseuds/RebelJanetRex
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kanan struggles with post-Malachor nightmares and Hera tries to comfort him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Color

A hooded figure in a sea of black, yellow eyes glowing from the shadows, stood before Kanan. “You mean my Apprentice,” his words echoed through the dark. Ezra walked past Kanan and stopped next to the man. He was smiling up at the dark figure, just out of reach from Kanan’s arms. “Ezra will be mine! And there’s nothing you can do to stop me!” Ezra vanished and the dark figure turned his head toward Kanan. “He’s my Apprentice now.” The figure removed his hood to reveal his horned head, red skin, and black tattoos. A red lightsaber ignited. Kanan tried to move, to run away, but nothing worked. The horned man swung his lightsaber at Kanan and red flashed before his eyes.

Kanan awoke, sweating profusely. The red remained in his vision. In a panic, Kanan started shaking, reaching up to his face to find out why he couldn’t see though he was awake. A bandage covered his eyes and he ripped it away in one swift motion. His vision did not change. Pain began to surge through his face and he cried out.

“No! No!” The face of the man who blinded him melted into the redness before his eyes. The red-skinned Zabrak with yellow eyes smiling an evil grin. “Not you!”

A gentle hand touched his shoulder and Kanan shot his hand out, slapping the arm away.

“Shh, shh, love,” a sweet voice said from beside him. “I’m right here.” He felt the hand return, trying to comfort him.

“Hera,” Kanan said. “The pain! I can’t--”

“Don’t worry,” she said, and Kanan felt a new, wet bandage being placed over his burning eyes. Slowly the pain began to subside. Kanan reached out and grabbed Hera’s arm.

“He’s there. Maul is always there. When I sleep, when I wake up, he’s all I see! Red, always red!”

He felt Hera move to sit on the bed beside him.

“Well, let’s think of something else. Try to remember Gorse. Where we first met. Do you remember the alley?”

“Yes.”

“Picture it in your mind,” Hera said. “Tell me what you see.”

Kanan paused. “I see scaffolding from the buildings around us. I see Charko and his gang. Light from the street is shining into the alley. You’re in front of me. You just threw your cloak into Charko’s face.” 

Hera chuckled. “He deserved it,” she said. “What color do you see?”

Kanan thought for a moment. “Green,” he said, thinking of Hera’s green skin.

“Think about when you met Chopper for the first time. What do you see?”

“I see a droid with a bad attitude. His orange top and mismatched legs. His back was always turned to me, never wanting to accept that I was there. Now he’s different.”

“What color do you see?”

“Orange. I see orange.”

“Now picture where we first met Zeb. What did you feel?”

“He was all alone,” Kanan said. “We knew about what happened on Lasan. He was sad and angry. I felt sorry for him. I know what he went through. I went through it. I felt like I might be able to help him.” Hera reached her arm around Kanan’s shoulders and held him tight.

“What color do you see?”

“Purple.”

“What about Sabine? Where we first met her.”

Kanan smiled. “She was tagging the ghost with her firebird symbol. It was orange, like it always is. The paint was still wet and started dripping down the hull. It was beautiful. Just like always.”

“What color do you see?”

“Pink,” he replied.

“And Lothal. Tell me about Ezra.”

“I felt him before I saw him. He felt… light. Sad and lonely, but light. It felt like I was back on Coruscant with the other Jedi in the temple. It was very brief, but it was strong.” 

“What color do you see?”

Kanan smiled and pictured Ezra’s deep blue eyes smiling up at him. “Blue,” he said. “Like the sky just before the sun rises.”

“We are family, Kanan.” Hera said. “We will always be here for you.” Kanan sank into her arms, no longer shaking, the memory of his nightmare and Maul’s attack gone from his mind. Now all that filled it was those he cared for. Zeb, Sabine, Chopper, Ezra, and Hera. His family.

“White,” he said. “I see white.”


End file.
